


A Spy's Mission

by MissLuthorsHizzie



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alaric is a dick, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Detective Hope and Penelope, F/F, Henelope friendship, Lena Luthor cameo, spy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27643696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissLuthorsHizzie/pseuds/MissLuthorsHizzie
Summary: Hope and Penelope are spies tasked with bringing down the corrupt Saltzman Industries and the CEO, Alaric Saltzman. Deciding to find out more by going through Alaric's twin daughters, Elizabeth and Josette Saltzman, the spies find a lot more than they bargained for.*There is a Lena Luthor cameo for extra gayness but you don't need to watch Supergirl to read this fanfic
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 5
Kudos: 72





	A Spy's Mission

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RenLuthor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenLuthor/gifts).



> Hello everyone! This is my first Hizzie fanfic so I'm very excited to be publishing this! The prompt was requested from me by RennyWilson and I went a little longer than originally planned...but the longer the fic the better! I hope you like it:) Now for the story...
> 
> Also, sorry about the format. For some reason Ao3 isn't letting me use tab spaces...

Hope Mikaelson sat at her desk, feet up on the dark wood in a relaxed position. She didn’t think it was possible as a professional spy-for-hire that she could be bored yet here she was. Twiddling her thumbs and counting the number of times the lights flickered per minute.Hope had decided in college that she didn’t want an average job like accounting or teaching. She needed a life of excitement, a life that would keep the dull, quiet moments away and her mind busy. After the death of her parents, there were too many of those moments in her life.  
That is, until she found herself at a keynote lecture series at her university and listened to a person talk about secret service work and the FBI. Considering her dad, Klaus, used to work for the FBI, Hope suddenly felt like she may have found her purpose in life. A purpose that eased her mind, honored her father, and carried on his legacy in the world.

  
Six years later, Hope was here. Sitting in her office and sighing at the silence surrounding her.

Usually the office was full of talking and the small group of agents collaborating together, but MG and Kaleb were currently working on their own case and the only people in the building were Jed, Penelope, Jade, and Rafael. While Jade and Rafael were filling out paperwork, Jed and Penelope were having a silent staring contest over the last cookie in their little kitchen area.  
Hope rolled her eyes at Jed and her best friend’s antics, used to their relentless bickering over every little thing.

  
Suddenly, the voice of her boss snapped Hope out of her daze. “Mikaelson, Park. In my office.”

  
The brunette looked over to where her boss, Dorian, stood and quickly sat up. The tone of his voice was serious, the kind of tone he reserved for special missions. Considering he was calling both Hope and Penelope who were partners, Hope brightened at the idea of an assignment.

  
Five minutes later, Hope and Penelope sat in the chairs in front of Dorian’s desk. Their eyes moved between their serious looking boss and a woman standing in the corner of the room. Hope had no idea how she hadn’t seen the woman come in considering she’d been bored out of her mind all morning.

  
“Mikaelson, Park, this mis Ms. Lena Luthor. She’s-” Dorian started before Penelope quickly straightened up and her hazel eyes went as wide as saucers.

  
“Lena Luthor as in the CEO of L-Corp? You were on Forbes’ list of Richest Women Under 30 a few years ago!” Penelope seemed unable to control slight awe at the woman and, honestly, Hope was having a hard time not blushing under the woman’s gaze.

  
The woman, Lena Luthor, gave Penelope a smile at the words with perfect red lips and white teeth. She had pitch black hair pulled back into a ponytail that accentuated her smooth skin, sharp bone structure, and intense green eyes. The woman would be intimidating if Hope hadn’t grown up a Mikaelson. She was used to meeting icy rich people with threats and fake smiles. But Lena Luthor didn’t appear icy; there actually seemed to be a light in her eyes usually absent in people of her stature and background.

  
“Yes, that would be me, Agent Park.” Ms. Luthor winked slightly and Hope saw the internal struggle Penelope was having to not wink back. That was their rule when first starting out as partners: no flirting with the clients. This was especially hard for Pen.

  
“Now that we’ve all established who Ms. Luthor is,” Dorian started, getting the meeting back on track, “there’s an assignment for the two of you.”  
Hope and Penelope instantly refocused their attention, both itching for a new case.

  
“Ms. Luthor’s company has recently developed a new technology that creates a virtual reality world in the form of a contact lens. Although its a top secret project and won’t be distributed for some time, she has reason to believe that another company has planted a mole in L-Corp to get the designs for the tech and reproduce it for another company.”

  
“How did you find out about the mole?” Hope asked, instantly interested in Ms. Luthor’s case.

  
Ms. Luthor nodded at the question. “I have my ways of finding out information. I have confidantes within each department and I recently hired a new aide for the lab. My assistant, Jess, informed me that this aide seemed to be staying later than most of my workers and she found her one night near the tech department, a place she had no reason to be. After some digging by my IT specialists, I found out she previously worked for Saltzman Industries.”

  
“Saltzman Industries. Isn’t that…” Penelope started, trying to remember what exactly they were known for.

  
“My biggest competition in the industry. They focus more on creating weapons than actually helping the world and many of their customers are less than savory.” Lena grimaced, as if remembering who exactly bought these weapons. Hope didn’t even want to think about what business Saltzman Industries could be dabbling in. “The CEO is Alaric Saltzman, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at many times. He’s a slimy businessman. He’s approached me multiple times on collaborating, but I’ve always said no. He runs his business without honesty or integrity and I never wanted any part in his business dealings.”

  
“So you want us to investigate whether or not he is stealing your technology?” Hope asked. Her mind was already running with possibilities of where to start.

  
“Yes, I need to know what he’s stolen from my company and, if possible, any other suspicious business deals he’s had. This man needs to be taken down.”

  
Hope and Penelope both nodded along. This didn’t seem like their usual type of mission, mostly focusing on missing persons and spy work for politicians, but this was interesting and new. Plus, Hope had grown up in this business scene, seeing as how her dad’s side of the family was full of rich business moguls and old money.

  
Penelope quickly spoke up as Hope watched Ms. Luthor intently, trying to analyze her. However, she couldn’t read the woman. “We’ll get started right away on the case. We will need to see where we can infiltrate his company and learn more about him. It may take a few weeks, but we’ll keep you updated.”

  
“I appreciate it, Agents.” Lena offered them a smile and a handshake before they stood up and exited the office, her hands warm yet strong in her grip.

  
Ten minutes later, Hope found herself at her desk once again as she researched more about this Alaric Saltzman and Saltzman Industries. The sound of

a door opening and closing grabbed her attention and she saw Ms. Luthor exiting Dorian’s office. They caught each other’s eyes and suddenly the black haired woman was walking Hope’s way.  
“Agent Mikaelson. I wanted to say thank you for taking on the case.”

  
Hope nodded at the woman with a smile. “Of course, I know firsthand how dangerous business can be.”

  
“I know you do.” Ms. Luthor’s words surprised Hope for a second, making her wonder how this woman knew who she was. “I knew your father, Klaus. He was the one that brought down my brother, Lex, when he started with his own unsavory agenda.”

  
Hope immediately panicked, not wanting this woman to hold a grudge against Hope for her father’s arrest record. “I’m sorry-”

  
“Please,” Lena interrupted, “Lex deserved it and your father was a good man. He was always very kind to me in questioning and he talked a lot about his teenage daughter, Hope. When my sister-in-law Alex referred me to this agency and I saw your name, it felt almost like fate.”

  
Hope didn’t really know what to say to that. She was used to people calling her family ruthless, cold, calculating, greedy. Never kind.

  
“I’m looking forward to your updates on the case.” With a sly smile and wink, Ms. Luthor was walking away from Hope’s desk as fast as she had appeared.  
Hope was left with a strange feeling of nostalgia and interest, but she quickly shook her head. She needed to get back to work and find out more about Alaric Saltzman and how exactly they were going to infiltrate his company.

The next day found Hope and Penelope pouring over L-Corp files, government documents, and personal research on Saltzman Industries. According to the government’s radar, the company was efficient, good, and very resourceful when it came to technology and weaponry. However, there were definitely some business deals and information about what exactly the weapons were that was missing from the files.

  
“I see you two got a big case.” Hope looked up to find Jade walking by, her eyes curious as she glanced at the piles of papers in front of the partners. “Was that Lena Luthor I saw yesterday?”  
“Yup.” Penelope popped the P dramatically. “Bet you wish Dorian trusted you with a case this big.”

  
Jade held up her hands in defense as she started walking away, never one for a fight. Of course, this only egged on Penelope who was Jade’s exact opposite.

  
“Good luck, let me know if you need any tech help.”

  
Hope only offered Jade a silent nod as the blonde walked away. Jade and MG were the agency's top tech and IT specialists. Penelope and Kaleb both excelled at interrogations, Rafael was good with client meetings and outreach, and Hope was the most gifted when it came to actually piecing together evidence. She was calculating and quiet, always analyzing. It was as if she held a mental map of all the evidence and with each interrogation and meeting she was one step closer to figuring out the mystery before everyone else. Hope was also incredibly closed off and stoic most of the time. It had taken pretty much a full year before the other agents even heard her laugh.

  
“I think we should start with the daughters.” Penelope interrupted Hope’s constant thoughts as she held out a file for her to take.

  
Hope opened it curiously, confused as to how she missed this detail. “I didn’t know Saltzman had daughters...twins, apparently.” She shuffled through the papers of the two women.

  
The first was Josette Saltzman, a senior business major at the local university. Straight A’s. 23 years old. Nothing really scandalous or bad in her report besides a single speeding ticket. Her picture showed a pretty woman, straight brown hair, sparkling eyes, and a kind smile that probably could make anyone smile in return.

  
However, it was the second sister’s file that really caught Hope’s eye. Elizabeth Saltzman, 23, also a senior at the local university but double majoring in business and english. Incredibly intelligent with a long list of organizations, charity functions, and even football quarterback in high school (Hope took note of this for some reason). A note on the bottom of the page indicated she had spent some time in a therapy center but for what it didn’t say. Her picture couldn’t look any more different from her twins. Elizabeth had perfectly curled platinum blonde hair and dark blue eyes that held mischief in them. A smirk was painted perfectly across her lips that just radiated trouble and a teasing nature.

  
“You done checking out the blonde?” Hope’s head snapped up to see Penelope smirking at her. Sometimes her partner was too smug for her own good.

  
Hope scowled and closed the file. “I was just assessing. Did you notice Elizabeth spent time in a therapy center? It doesn’t say why. There’s also a long list of misdemeanors in her record. The twins are almost exact opposites.”

  
Penelope frowned at this as she took Josie’s file, eyes tracing over the picture and one speeding ticket.

  
“I guess we should get a closer look, shouldn’t we?” Penelope’s face glimmered with a challenge, and, really, who was Hope to turn down a challenge from Penelope Park.

It was a week later when they finally decided on how to approach the assignment. They figured they should get close to the daughters first, gain their trust and learn more about the inside of the Saltzman family.

  
Penelope was more than happy to befriend Josette, which left Hope with Elizabeth. Something still bugged Hope about the blonde so she figured this was the best way to get to the bottom of it.

  
The weather was chilly that morning, prompting the brunette to wear her black coat that she definitely didn’t buy because she was a spy. Her reddish brown hair blew out behind her in the wind and she regretted wearing it down. It was too late to change her appearance, though. Hope looked both ways before crossing the street in front of her. At seeing no passing cars besides the parked ones lining the street, she quickly crossed and entered her destination: Mystic Falls Bookstore.

  
The bell rang out loudly as Hope opened and closed the door to the shop, alerting everyone to her presence. She imagined that bell could get annoying after a few times. Offering the girl at the counter a small smile, Hope continued her trek into the store with a searching eye.

  
Surveying the place, she noticed only about three college-aged boys and an older woman walking through the store. The college boys seemed to be messing around clumsily in the textbook aisle Hope went through the aisles as she surveyed, pretending to look at the book titles for a specific text. By the time Hope reached the last aisle, she was almost doubting her research. Maybe she had been wrong.

  
However, when she turned into the last aisle, she saw a figure with her back turned to her. All Hope could see was platinum blonde hair and plaid pants. There she was.  
Hope had done her research, you see. She knew that every Thursday at 11 AM Elizabeth Saltzman visited this library and always left with one book. And here she was with her back to Hope, but the spy would know that hair anywhere.

  
With skilled caution, Hope ambled slowly through the aisle. Her eyes ran over dozens of book titles that she would never be able to recall. Her mind was solely focused on the blonde a few feet away. After a minute, Hope decided it was time to dive right into it.

  
She marked the book in Elizabeth’s hand and smirked. It was a book she’d read before.

  
“Jane Eyre, huh? I read that one last year. It’s pretty good.”

  
Elizabeth immediately turned, her eyes narrowed as she took in Hope’s short stature and wind-swept look. For Hope, her eyes only widened in surprise. The blonde’s picture did her no justice.  
The picture didn’t emphasize the long, dark eyelashes, the smooth jaw line and high cheekbones. Even her lips looked more pink and soft in real life. Hope had to quickly tear her eyes away from the woman in front of her to not turn into a blushing mess. Hope was never one to be giggly or flirty, especially with targets, but there was something about Elizabeth that immediately made Hope’s stomach flip.

  
After a second of silent assessment on Elizabeth’s side, the blonde seemed to let down her guard as a smirk slipped onto her face. “You would think as an English major I’d have read it already. A bunch of my friends insisted I read it next.”

  
Elizabeth’s voice was smooth and deeper than Hope thought it would be. A slight chill went down her spine and Hope forced herself to ignore it.

  
Hope nodded. “Definitely worth a read. But you strike me as more of a Tolkien reader.” Of course, Hope knew this because she had studied Lizzie’s course schedule which consisted of way more sci-fi and mythological literature than the brunette would think.

  
The blonde narrowed her eyes, ocean irises suddenly intense. She almost reminded Hope of her Aunt Freya’s intensity. “Are you saying I look like a nerd, hobbit?”

  
“I think you just proved my point by calling me a hobbit, just so you know.” Hope winked and let out a chuckle as Elizabeth seemed to be silently chastising herself.

  
The brunette stayed silent for a moment, taking in the woman’s adorable furrowed eyebrows and frustrated nose scrunch. She could get lost in those beautiful yet adorable features, in that silvery blonde hair that looked so much like waves, and-

  
Snap out of it, Mikaelson, Hope scolded herself.

  
Hope Mikaelson didn’t get feelings. She didn’t make attachments. Elizabeth was just another mark to learn more about. As soon as this mission was over, she’d never see the 23 year old again. That was her life.

  
“I’m Hope Marshall, by the way.” Hope held out her hand for the blonde, giving her a smile that came surprisingly easy to her face. She never used the name Mikaelson undercover since it stuck out to most high class people.

  
Elizabeth seemed to size up Hope’s hand, her eyes running over every inch of it before finally looking back into Hope’s eyes and shaking her hand. The touch was electric and over faster than Hope wanted. “Lizzie Saltzman. Pleasure to meet you.”

  
Lizzie. That name suited her more than Elizabeth.

  
The bell rang at the front of the store as the three boys left the store with books in hand. Hope figured she couldn’t keep Lizzie here forever. It was time to set the trap.

  
“This might seem tos forward,” Hope started, causing Lizzie’s dark eyebrows to immediately arch in curiosity, “but would you want to grab a cup of coffee sometime? We could talk more about nerd references and Jane Eyre.”

  
Something sparkled in Lizzie’s eyes at the brunette’s words and Hope had to suck in her breath to not get stuck in their depths again. After what felt like a century of silence, Lizzie broke the eye contact and held out her phone for Hope to take.

  
“Put your number in,” she explained at Hope’s questioning glance. “I’ll text you.”

  
Well, this had worked out a lot easier than Hope had expected.

Penelope was having similar luck a few blocks away at Mystic Falls University. She stood by the steps outside the Salvatore School of Business, waiting for the clock to read 11:00 which signalled the ending of Josette Saltzman’s morning class.

  
Her mind briefly wandered over to Hope and how she was faring on her part. She smirked and shook her head as she thought over the stupid glances Hope had been giving Elizabeth’s file all week. The shorter spy was acting like a repressed and hormonal teenager with the amount of attention she’d given the blonde’s picture.Suddenly, her phone beeped, signalling it was 11:00. As if right on cue, the doors opened as groups of university students exited their classes and walked to their next destinations.

  
Penelope looked over the multiple bobbing heads until she settled on a tall figure just walking down the steps. Her brown hair was up in adorable space buns and she wore a simple yellow sweater and skirt. However, it didn’t really matter how simple her outfit was. Penelope knew Josette would stand out in any crowd. Her heart sped up as she took in the girl’s pouty lips and puppy dog eyes. Well, here goes nothing.

  
She quickly made her way up the steps and, when she neared Josette, looked down at her phone. She pretended to take a clumsy step and then-

  
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Josette’s voice was completely apologetic as she looked at all of her spilled books.

  
Penelope was shocked, to say the least, by how genuine the woman sounded. She had been the one to bump into Josette and cause her to drop her books in the first place.

  
“Don’t be. That was completely my fault.” Penelope kneeled to pick up the girl’s books. When Josette kneeled as well, Penelope made sure to brush their fingers slightly. “I don’t usually see people that make me so clumsy.”

  
Penelope’s tone gave away a flirty meaning and she looked up to find Josette blushing furiously, her eyes wide on Penelope’s face. Who knew that this could be so easy? Flirting was the agent’s specialty.

  
“I...I, umm...” Josette was completely flustered at Penelope’s comment, unable to piece together a sentence. She handed the girl her stack of books and she accepted them gratefully with a nod of her head. “Thanks. You’re probably one of the only people that would actually stop and help.”

  
Penelope winked again. “You’re worth stopping for.”

  
And there it was again, the bright red blush that went down her neck and disappeared under her sweater. Guessing from Josette’s wide eyes, smile, and stuttering voice, Penelope thought that this would be a pretty easy mission.

Three days later, Hope found herself standing outside of Kirby Cafe. It was a popular enough cafe that when Lizzie had texted her to meet up there Hope had known where to go. It was more popular among university students, though, since it was only a few blocks from campus and the bookstore. Lizzie seemed to stick to certain areas of the city.

  
The cafe was already bustling for a Saturday morning and the buzz of voices filled the space. It was cozy looking, with wooden tables and chairs, energetic students, and the smell of coffee beans lingering in the air. It reminded Hope of her favorite New Orleans cafe when she was little that made the whole street smell like coffee. Her mom and dad used to take her every weekend, letting her choose from the array of available pastries. Each time she chose a beignet, no matter what had been on display, mostly because her dad always chose a beignet too. Her mom had always stuck to something more chocolatey.

  
“Hope.” The brunette was stirred from her nostalgic trip down memory lane by a deep voice she recognized instantly. She turned her head towards a small table nearby, taking in Lizzie Saltzman’s questioning blue eyes and unrelenting smirk.

  
Hope quickly walked over and sat in the empty chair opposite Lizzie. She tried to calm the beating of her heart as she took in Lizzie’s form-fitting white turtleneck and the way her hair was held in a high ponytail, platinum ringlets falling over her long neck.

  
“How are you doing?” The blonde asked, her gaze not leaving Hope’s at all.

  
Hope raised an eyebrow in answer. “So formal today. Last I remember, you called me a hobbit. Are you all out of insults already?”

  
Lizzie snorted at this and took a sip of what looked like an iced coffee. Hope briefly questioned how a person could enjoy such a cold drink in this near-snowy weather. The spy herself preferred a good hot chocolate or black coffee.

  
“Please,” Lizzie started, “I was going to save the brilliant comebacks till you at least got a coffee but if you insist. I take back my previous hobbit comment and replace it with minion.”

  
Hope scoffed. “Minion? As in Despicable Me? I can’t tell if that’s more or less nerdy than hobbit.”

  
Lizzie practically growled at that, but it was more self-deprecating than angry. “Minions are cute, ok?”

  
“So you think I’m cute?” Hope’s teasing words made Lizzie blush, the pink bright against her pale cheeks and hair. A fluttery feeling spread through Hope’s stomach at seeing the girl’s barely-contained grin and flustered behavior, surprising the spy more than anything.

  
Why was she flirting so much with Lizzie? She felt like Penelope, with the constant flirtations just bubbling to the surface with no filter. The goal was to become her friend, nothing more. Like she thought before, Hope Mikaelson was a lone wolf. Attachments meant hurt and Hope had no more room for hurt in her life, especially when the cause of it was one of her targets.  
Lizzie was spared from answering and Hope was spared from her troublesome thoughts by a waiter suddenly approaching their table.

  
“Good morning, ladies. What can I get for you?” The waiter had curly hair and a dopey smile as he directed his attention towards Hope. His name tag read “Landon” which Hope thought suited him. He probably would’ve been cute to her if it weren’t for the blonde goddess in front of her grabbing all her attention.

  
Goddess? Really? Hope scolded herself once again.

  
She cleared her throat, as if the action would expel her thoughts.

  
“Can I get a hot chocolate, please? With whipped cream.” Hope was slightly embarrassed by her order, she was a grown woman and a spy on top of that. But she liked what she liked and she was really craving some hot chocolate in this cold Mystic Falls weather.

  
Landon winked at Hope and gave her an even bigger smile, if that was possible. “Coming right up for the lovely customer.”

  
The waiter was gone within seconds, his apron whirling around his waist like a cape. Hope turned again towards her date (not a date, Hope, she reminded herself) to find Lizzie sending a withering glare towards Landon. If looks could kill, Landon would’ve been dead a hundred times over.

  
“Lizzie?”

  
The blonde snapped out of her stupor instantly but her eyes were still a cloudy blue, betraying some sort of turmoil within her. “Sorry, that human sized muppet is setting off my eye twitch. It happens when I get near anything retail and that shirt is definitely something he bought from the Gap.”

  
Hope had to hide her laugh at Lizzie’s insult, not wanting to give the blonde the satisfaction of seeing how entertained she was. Since they had begun this witty back and forth at the bookstore, it was almost like they were in a competition. Who can say the funniest thing, who could be the most self-deprecating, who could come up with the most clever insults. The brunette didn’t want the blonde to know just how interesting Hope found her. Right now, Hope had so many secret cards up her sleeve and she couldn’t reveal any of them lest Lizzie get suspicious. So she had to keep her an arms length away while still being charming enough to gather some information.

  
“You’re just on a roll this morning, aren’t you?”

  
“What can I say?” Lizzie shrugged. “I find joy in the small things.”

  
Hope found herself smiling at Lizzie, unable to hold it back. The girl in front of her just felt so...different.

  
Most people pissed Hope off or were just bearable enough to have a conversation with. But Lizzie was something completely different. Not only was she beautiful, but she was smart, witty, effortlessly critical, and her blue eyes held a fire in them that enchanted Hope to no end.  
“So, tell me about yourself, Elizabeth Saltzman. Who are you, what do you like, what’s your life like?” Hope could sense Lizzie wasn’t a person to mince words, so she decided not to be one either.  
Lizzie raised an eyebrow as she took another sip of her coffee. “Again with the forwardness. This almost feels like an interrogation, Miss Marshall. Do you want to know about my little tryst with vandalism back when I was 16, too?”  
Well, that explained part of her questionable record.  
“How did a vandalizing rebel become a literature nerd?” The interest in Hope’s voice didn’t need to be faked.  
Lizzie gave Hope a pointed look and moved on. “I was born and raised here in Mystic Falls. I’m a senior at Mystic Falls University, double major in Business and English because only idiots get one degree. I have a twin, Josie, and our dad is the CEO of Saltzman Industries-”  
“As in the Saltzman Industries?” Hope tried to sound a mix of awe and surprise, like she didn’t already know everything about Lizzie.  
Lizzie, as if expecting this reaction, sighed and nodded.

  
“Yup, that company. Honestly, I’m not even that close to my dad, he barely meets the parental requirements since he’s so busy with the business all the time. He worries more about his employees than his own daughters.” Lizzie sighed, trying and failing to hide the irritation in her voice at the mention of her father. “Anyway, I don’t want to make this a conversation about disappointing parents. Are you from here?”

  
Hope wasn’t sure if she should feel guilty or not for trying to put the blonde’s father behind bars. She decided not to be, but a small nagging feeling had already burrowed itself inside her chest.

  
“No actually,” Hope started, “I’m from New Orleans, born and bred.”

  
Lizzie smiled at this but before she could say anything, Landon was suddenly back at their table.  
“Hot chocolate for the lady.” A cup of steaming hot chocolate with a pile of whipped cream and chocolate sauce was placed in front of Hope. She could almost swear it had extra whipped cream since it almost towered over the whole drink.

  
When Hope looked up from the drink with wide eyes, Landon was staring at her almost expectantly. He had that dopey smile again and was twiddling his thumbs in a nervous way. What was he expecting? A number? A name? A kiss?

  
“I-thank you...Landon.” Hope nodded her head at him. She didn’t want to be rude but his eyes were still boring into her and she just wanted to turn her attention back to Lizzie.

  
His whole face brightened when Hope said his name; however, just a second later, Lizzie was clearing her throat pointedly and sending the poor waiter another glare.

  
“Mop head, there’s a clean up in aisle 4.” Lizzie’s voice was dripping with annoyance as she spoke. Clearly she didn’t like Landon and his wide smile.

  
The boy quickly turned around and saw that, sure enough, a waiter had just spilled multiple cups of coffee all over the cafe’s tiled floors. Faster than lighting and as clumsy as an ox, Landon ran from the table and over to help the other waiter.

  
As soon as he was out of earshot, Hope whirled on Lizzie and sent her a glare. “Lizzie!” She tried to come off as mad, but she sounded more incredulous and entertained.

  
Lizzie only shrugged in response. “What? There was a spill. He really shouldn’t be spending his time gawking at someone way out of his league anyway.”

  
Hope’s jaw dropped open at the comment, completely sidetracked by the...compliment? She felt a blush start settling on her cheeks and tried to control the way chills ran down her spine at Lizzie’s intense blue stare.

  
Hope took a sip of her hot chocolate to take away some of the tension. As soon as the chocolate taste touched her tongue, she felt back to normal. This was a normal, Saturday afternoon. She was enjoying a hot chocolate with a beautiful blonde. A beautiful blonde she had to interrogate.

  
Shaking all outside thoughts from her mind, Hope smirked at Lizzie and sat back in her chair. “So, where were we?”

“Any luck with Miss Barbie?” Penelope winked towards Hope as she spoke.

  
Hope only rolled her eyes, dismissing what seemed to be the 100th nickname Penelope had given to Lizzie. “Yes, actually. I got some useful information because I’m actually good at my job.”  
The other agent grabbed at her heart, feigning hurt. “Ouch, Hopey. No need to wound me.”

  
Penelope was currently spinning around in circles in her office chair, acting like a child on a sugar high rather than a government-employed secret agent. Hope sat on the desk, holding files in her hand while her brain ran a million miles a minute trying to connect varying dots she’d pieced together.

  
They had both just gotten back to the office, Lizzie coming from her coffee date (not a date!) with Lizzie and Penelope from her own interrogation with Josie. Penelope and Josie had scheduled their own meet up at the park, the hazel eyed agent’s charms never failing her.

  
“Yes, I’m sure I bruised your enormous ego.” Hope grinned at Penelope’s answering scoff. Her favorite pastime had to be messing with the other agent...well, flirting with Lizzie might beat it, but she’d never admit that. “Anyway, Lizzie revealed that she used to sneak into Saltzman Industries all the time on Thursday nights to study because no one stays late on Thursdays. Apparently, that night is when the janitorial staff clean all the labs and, if bribed with money, they will stay quiet about who they see.”

  
Penelope gave a little clap. “Well, well, the Bleach blonde babe was actually useful. I honestly thought she’d just talk about pumpkin spice lattes and how being a stripper is feminism the whole time.”

  
Hope glared at Penelope but the other agent just laughed and held her hands up in defense. “So what did you learn from Josie?”

  
“That girl is so repressed that the minute I asked her to open up, she practically spilled all her secrets.” Penelope had a teasing smile, but Hope saw a glimmer of guilt in the girl’s eyes. “She said how her father is always sneaking off to meet with this person named Clarke. And apparently, her and Lizzie one time found a bunch of files in his office safe but they couldn’t tell what they were since they were only 11. But she just talked about how their dad never tells them anything about who he meets or the deals he makes, which frustrates them because they’re apparently supposed to take over the company after he retires.”

  
Hope nodded at the information. “Lizzie said some similar things. Apparently, Mr. Saltzman is not winning any Father of the Year awards, not that that’s very surprising.”

  
For the next few hours they both divulged everything they had learned during their undercover work. They bickered, joked, insulted each other many times, and filled in many gaps in Hope’s mental map of clues.

  
In the end, they decided that the following Thursday, they would sneak into Saltzman Industries and find that safe full of files Josie had revealed. Hope only hoped that this mission wouldn’t break the twins, considering afterward they would know exactly who had tricked them.

While they waited for Thursday, Hope and Penelope met with Ms. Luthor multiple times to keep her updated while continuing their research. They figured out the layout of Saltzman Industries and created a plan of how exactly they were going to get to Alaric Saltzman’s office.

  
Over those days, Hope could swear she was seeing Lizzie everywhere. They had been texting on and off constantly, sending each other funny texts, complaints about long lines or classes, and sending ridiculous selfies. Hope never took Lizzie for a person to take funny selfies but Lizzie’s were constantly making her laugh out loud. The brunette had received numerous shocked looks from her fellow agents each time a laugh bubbled out of her or she cracked a smile at her phone.

  
But everytime Hope turned a street corner or exited a store, she was sure she saw that platinum blonde hair walking away. It was always just a glimpse of the silvery-blonde color that Hope had memorized enough to want to paint. However, each time she would do a double take and the person would be gone. As if Lizzie Saltzman was plaguing her every thought until Hope accepted what she was truly feeling.

  
But what was she feeling exactly?

  
It was ridiculous that she could have feelings for someone that was a target and who she’d only met twice. Absolutely ridiculous and something that only happened in cheesy movies.  
However, Hope couldn’t deny the pull she felt towards Lizzie. The minute she’d seen her picture in that file, it was like the sky had crashed down on her and was going to continue crushing her until she saw Lizzie’s face again.

  
Ugh, when did she become this sappy?

  
When Thursday finally came, Hope found herself jittery for some reason. She was always going undercover and was confident in her abilities. Why was this time so different?  
Well, she knew deep down what was different.

  
As darkness encroached and the streets of Mystic Falls were covered in shadows and leering figures, Hope made her way towards Saltzman Industries. She wore her black coat to protect her from the harsh chill in the air, bringing it closer to her body as if that would expel the jitters she felt.

  
Penelope was already waiting outside the building when Hope arrived, her arms crossed over her chest and an impatient look on her face.  
“I never thought I’d see the day where I was earlier than Hope Mikaelson.” Penelope looked smug as she spoke and Hope just ignored her pointed look. She was not feeling up to her usual sarcasm.

  
“Whatever,” she said, already walking towards a side door in the building that she knew was locked. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  
Penelope knelt before the side door and took a pin out of her pocket. With expert precision and skilled hands, she started to pick the lock. She stuck her tongue out slightly as she concentrated and Hope had to refrain from commenting on the ridiculous look on Penelope’s face.

  
After another thirty seconds with Penelope still working at the door, a rustling sound suddenly came from nearby. Hope’s head immediately whipped up as she tried to spot any person or animal that could be nearing...she hoped it was just an animal or this would be really awkward to try to explain.

  
Suddenly, someone cleared their throat from behind her and Hope and Penelope both froze.

  
Shit.

  
“You two are real idiots.”

  
Shit, shit, shit.

  
Hope whirled around to find Lizzie and Josie Saltzman staring at them with amused expressions. Hope noted the black coat Lizzie wore that seemed to match Hope’s and how her hair was so perfectly laying across her shoulders in a silvery-blonde sheet.

  
“Lizzie?!” Hope exclaimed, not understanding how the twins knew they’d be here.  
Penelope stood up abruptly next to Hope, putting the lock picking tools behind her back as if that would hide what they were just doing. “Hey, Jo…” She said, her voice full of innocent sweetness. Josie only raised an eyebrow in reply.  
Lizzie walked forward until she stood right in front of the two agents. “You can’t really think I’m that dumb, can you, Mikaelson?”  
Hope did a double take at hearing her name. “Wait, you know who I am?”  
Lizzie only scoffed. “Obviously. I was raised as a corrupt businessman’s daughter, I know my way around background checks. I’ve known who you actually are since I got home from the bookstore the day we met. You’re Hope Mikaelson. You work for a privatized branch of the government that specializes in spy work and surveillance. And you were hired to investigate my father by who I can only guess is one of our competitors?”  
“Plus,” Josie began, looking straight at Penelope, “when we both came home saying we’d each randomly ran into beautiful women that wanted to get to know us, we were sure something was up. It didn’t take long for us to figure out who Penelope Park was, which led us to Hope.”  
Penelope, for once, seemed shocked into silence.

  
“That’s...ummm...” Hope didn’t know how to respond. This never happened. She was the agency’s best spy and undercover operative. How was it possible for a blonde English major with a sharp tongue and nerd references to figure out who she was so easily? “You’ve known this whole time and you never said anything?”  
Hope’s voice was incredulous, to which Lizzie responded with a simple smirk. “I wanted to see you struggle with questions at our coffee date.”

  
So it was a date? Hope thought, before chiding herself. Focus, Mikaelson.

  
“What’s even the point of secret identities if two university girls can figure us out in a day…” Penelope spoke more to herself, annoyance filtering into her voice.

  
Josie offered the girl a small smile. “If it makes you feel better, we’re two university girls with a bunch of money, resources, and good IT guys who may or may not be hackers.”

  
All four girls just stood there in silence for a moment, taking in the situation and unsure how to go on. Hope didn’t know if she was supposed to run or wait for Lizzie or Josie to call the cops and then make a run for it. She didn’t want to hurt either of the twins, but if she just tripped one of them and made a run for it that couldn’t do much damage to them, right?

  
“So, when exactly are the cops showing up? We’ll need to plan our escape, obviously.” Hope stated before she could think about her words.

  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. “We’re not calling the cops.”

  
Hope and Penelope’s faces must’ve shown their confusion since Josie quickly explained her twin’s words.

  
“Our dad is corrupt. We’ve known that since we were young. He’s not a good man and if we don’t put a stop to it, he’s going to run the business into the ground. Plus, he’s a terrible father so I wouldn’t worry about us feeling too sad about it.”

Hope and Penelope shared a simple look before they both shrugged and nodded.

  
“Well, then, lead the way, Miss Saltzman.” Penelope sent Josie a wink, the poor girl’s face completely bursting into flames as she walked by to get to the front door.

  
Lizzie swiped a key card into a slot and suddenly the front doors were open and the twins were leading the agents through the winding white hallways. Hope practically knew the way to Alaric’s office by memory from all the studying she’d done of the building plans, but she still stuck right by Lizzie’s side. She still didn’t understand how the blonde seemed so unfazed by Hope being a spy and trying to put her father in jail, but she figured not every family was as close as the Mikaelsons.

  
When they had reached Alaric’s office, Josie quickly went to work unlocking the safe, whispering with Penelope who stood a little too close to her. Lizzie and Hope stood by the wall, watching their exchange in silence.

  
Hope tentatively looked towards Lizzie. She admired the adorable curve of the blonde’s nose, the high cheekbones, the curling eyelashes that seemed to flutter each time she blinked, how her skin looked so bright even in the dim lighting of the office.

  
“Hey, I am sorry. About having to lie to you.” Lizzie turned to look back at Hope, their eyes connecting and the situation they were currently in fading into the background. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  
Lizzie offered a smile, her blue eyes so doe-like and pink lips parted. “I believe you.”

  
There was so much emotion in those words that Hope wanted to just grab Lizzie’s face and kiss her right there. But before she could even reply or move, Penelope’s voice was interrupting their moment.

  
“Jackpot!”

  
Hope and Lizzie both turned to find a grinning Penelope with a stack of files in her hands, Josie staring at the agent with what Hope could only describe as heart eyes.

  
Caught up in the moment of a successful mission and Lizzie’s eyes returning to land on her face, Hope couldn’t help but think that maybe her and Penelope would leave this mission with something more than just money and a pat on the back.

One week later

Hope stood at the corner of the street, her hands in her coat pockets and brown hair once again whipping across her face from the winter wind. The street was full of onlookers watching the scene before them with curiosity and what one could only assume was morbid excitement.

  
Red and blue lights flashed from all the way across the street as two police officers walked out of Saltzman Industries with Alaric Saltzman in handcuffs. The man was practically yelling, his face red as he screamed at his daughters to get a lawyer. Lizzie and Josie stood off to the side, turning deaf ears to their father’s words. Penelope stood near Josie, looking like she was thoroughly enjoying the sight before her.

  
Hope heard footsteps approach and turned her head to find Lena Luthor standing next to her. The woman was in her red coat, her black hair falling straight down her back and a slight smirk plastered across her red lips.

  
Her and Penelope had immediately taken the files they’d retrieved from Alaric’s office to Lena that Thursday night. Sure enough, the files held all types of stolen technology plans from L-Corp and detailed many bank accounts that traced back to shady business deals. It had taken a few days to put all the information together and to figure out who exactly was involved with these deals, but as soon as they did, with the help of Lizzie and Josie, Lena had turned to the authorities.

  
And now, here they were.

  
“Thank you, Agent Mikaelson, for all your hard work on the case. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to do this job.”

  
Hope cocked her head to the side, taking in Lena’s words. “How did you know I would be able to get you the files?”

  
Lena gave Hope the kind of grin that made her feel like she was in on some kind of joke between just the two of them. Hope had noticed that Lena had that power of making everyone feel capable and special, like she invested complete trust that you would do what you needed to do.

  
“When I met your father, Klaus, he had a certain spark in him. Something that just told me I could trust him and that he was doing the best he could do to protect L-Corp and the world from my brother. The minute I saw you, I recognized that same spark. Something in your eyes reminds me so much of him and that trust.”

  
Hope visibly swallowed, trying to keep the tears prickling in her eyes at bay. Hearing someone speak so highly of her father, who had made many mistakes in his life, never failed to remind her of how good of a father he was. Remind her of how much she missed him.

  
“Thank you again, Hope. I’ll know who to contact if I ever need help again.” Lena sent Hope a quick wink and the agent couldn’t help her smile, the expression completely genuine. “Now, I have to get back home. It's game night and my wife, Kara, is depending on me to be on her team for charades.”

  
Lena looked slightly nervous at the idea of charades with her wife but still gave Hope one last smile before walking away.

  
Hope turned forward again to find the police cars driving a very upset Alaric Saltzman away, his disgruntled face clear in the window. How a man like that could possibly create Lizzie and Josie was still a mystery to Hope.

  
Platinum hair caught Hope’s eye and she looked to find Lizzie walking towards her. From the short distance, Hope could already see the smirk plastered on Lizzie’s pink lips and the familiar sway of her body as she walked.

  
“What’s going to happen now?” Hope asked once Lizzie was by her side. This question had been rattling around in her brain ever since that fateful Thursday.

  
“Well, technically, Josie and I are now the CEO’s of Saltzman Industries.” Lizzie held a slight grin on her face and Hope couldn’t stop herself from chuckling incredulously. The girl next to her never failed to amaze her.

  
“You are cunning, Elizabeth Saltzman. You completely played Penelope and I, didn’t you?”

  
The spy work, getting the files, helping them figure out who the business partners were. All of it to put their dad in jail and gain the company for themselves. At least Hope knew that Lizzie and Josie would actually help Saltzman Industries and wouldn’t let it fall into shady business deals. Even though the way they got the business was dirty, Hope could see the spark of inspiration in Lizzie’s eyes that told her the blonde was nothing but good.

  
“Didn’t you play us, too?” Lizzie turned her head to look directly into Hope’s blue eyes, blue meeting blue in a moment full of electricity.

  
Both stared at each other for a few seconds, remembering that moment in Alaric’s office where all Hope had wanted to do was grab Lizzie’s face in her hands and bring their lips together with all the emotions in her chest.

  
“Now,” Lizzie spoke up, breaking the silence once again, “are you going to ask me out on a real date, Mikaelson? Maybe a picnic this time. Or Paris? Since I’m suddenly the unexpected owner of a billion dollar company and I know you’re pretty well off yourself, there’s really unlimited options for our second date.”

  
Hope shot Lizzie an amused glare, but it didn’t really mean anything. The brunette would never be able to actually glare at the blonde as long as she continued to set Hope’s insides on fire. And Hope was sure that feeling would never go away.

  
“You certainly are a simple girl, Lizzie.”

  
Lizzie just shrugged. “Like I said, I find joy in the small things.”

  
This time, when the silence once again settled between them, Hope didn’t hold herself back. Darting forward, Hope’s hands went to immediately cup Lizzie’s cheeks. Without hesitation,  
Lizzie moved forward as well, their lips connecting in a searing kiss.

  
The world dissolved around them. Red and blue lights flashed, the sounds of people passing by were muted, and the ground seemed to come up from under them. Hope felt dizzy and like she her knees would buckle any minute. Lizzie’s lips were so soft and warm and her skin felt smooth under her fingertips. Every touch was filled with searing heat and electricity. Lizzie’s hands were on her waist, pulling Hope even closer into her body.

  
It felt like hours and yet only seconds later they were reluctantly separating. They were in public, after all, and Hope felt like she would collapse any minute if she didn’t get some oxygen.

  
Hope smiled as she saw Lizzie’s pink cheeks and swollen lips. “For our date...how do you feel about New Orleans?”

  
Lizzie grinned in answer and pulled Hope into her once again. Yes, Hope had definitely left this mission with a lot more than money.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! I had so much fun creating it for you all! My tumblr is @missluthorshizzie and I'm always open for more fanfic requests. I'm already working on my next Hizzie fic, so see you next time :)


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